The Council of Europe is currently conducting a consultation on the longer term future of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The consultation closed on 27 January 2014 and is this exercise will continue until Spring 2015. JUSTICE considers that the future of the Convention system must build upon a commitment to the right […]

JUSTICE considers that the proposals for reform in Judicial Review: Proposals for further reform are ill-considered, poorly evidenced and ill-advised. The changes proposed to legal aid for judicial review appear designed to insulate public decision makers from effective judicial oversight Proposals on standing and costs could significantly impact upon public interest litigation within the United […]

JUSTICE considers that the proposals in Transforming Legal Aid are rushed, ill-considered and unsupported by evidence. We regret that less than a year after the implementation of the last reforms in Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (“LASPO”), the Government is proposing a series of changes which fail to consider the important […]

JUSTICE responded to the Scottish Government consultation on the proposal to introduce a leave requirement for Scottish cases to proceed to the Supreme Court.  Currently no equivalent requirement for leave applies to that applicable in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Instead, appeals must be certified by counsel before being referred. JUSTICE expressed our support for […]

JUSTICE regrets the decision in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 to depart from the DNA retention model operating in Scotland. The decision to provide for the continuing retention of DNA taken from individuals on arrest, even in circumstances where no charge results, will, in our view, be extremely difficult to justify. We are particularly […]

The Making Justice Work: Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill Consultation ran from February to May 2013. It contained proposals to restructure the way civil cases and summary criminal cases are dealt with by the courts in Scotland. The proposals suggest a legal framework for implementing the majority of recommendations of the Scottish Civil Courts Review. The […]

On the opening of Protocol 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights, JUSTICE and the International Commission of Jurists, together with other national and international NGOs urged the Contracting Parties to take steps to ensure that the changes in the Protocol would not result in weaker protection for individual rights across Europe. Principally, the […]

The Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Draft Bill has been published in response to the line of European Court of Human Rights case-law which concludes that the absolute ban on prisoners voting in section 3 Representation of the People Act 1983 (“RPA”) is incompatible with the right to participate in full and fair elections. A Joint Committee […]

UK record on torture subject to scrutiny In May 2013, the UN Committee against Torture will question UK Ministers and officials about the UK’s compliance with the UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT).  In advance of this hearing, JUSTICE has written to the committee to raise our concern that a number of key issues continue to […]

In May 2013, the UN Committee against Torture will question UK Ministers and officials about the UK’s compliance with the UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT).  In advance of this hearing, JUSTICE has written to the committee to raise our concern that a number of key issues continue to undermine the UK’s commitment to UNCAT, including […]